Breastfeeding: factors that lead to their abandonment

Objective: to describe the characteristics of breastfeeding and the factors that favor its abandonment in mothers of children belonging to a municipality of the department of Caldas-Colombia. Materials and methods: a descriptive and cross-sectional quantitative study conducted with a random sample of 100 mothers who attended with their children to control growth and development in the municipality hospital. Results: exclusive breastfeeding in the sixth month showed a compliance rate of 4.8%. In terms of total breastfeeding 8% lactorated their child for I month, 12% did so until 3 months, 14% up to 6 months and 65% up to 11 months. The analysis of multiple correspondences showed that the mothers who achieved a longer period of lactation were those who were in the group of young adults and who lived in a free union. The factors that were statistically associated with the abandonment of breastfeeding were related to not leaving enough milk (p = 0.000), the baby rejected the breast (p = 0.001), the use of the bottle (p = 0.002) and the re-entry of the mother (p = 0.035). Conclusions: there is a need to strengthen the lines of action at the political and governmental level to favor the goals of early childhood breastfeeding; likewise, it is important to approach the population from their previous behaviors, personal, family and sociocultural constraints to reduce the factors of abandonment.